1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to oil filter devices and, more particularly, to oil filter devices mounted on motor vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of oil filtering devices for motor vehicles is known in the prior art. In my prior patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,024 there is disclosed a magnet assembly or attachment for magnetically collecting metallic particles within an oil filter cartridge. That inventive device includes a pair of magnets supported in a spaced relationship by a carrier which latter is positionable along an exterior of a filter cartridge. The carrier serves an additional function of a heat sink. A shunt couples opposite poles of the magnets together to increase the magnetic flux directed into the filter cartridge to separate and retain metallic particles from the filtered fluid.
An oil lubrication circuit of a motor vehicle includes a variety of components, and such components generally include a cartridge mounting stem for an oil filter cartridge, an oil output channel in the cartridge mounting stem for allowing filtered oil to exit from the oil filter cartridge and circulate in the oil lubrication circuit, and one or more oil input channels, present in the engine for channelling oil from the engine into the oil filter cartridge.
The interior of a conventional oil filter cartridge generally includes a centrally located filtered oil flow space and an array of filter material arrayed circumferentially around the centrally located filtered oil flow space. Inside the conventional oil filter cartridge, oil flows in a diffuse pattern radially from circumferential positions outside the filter material, through the filter material, and into the centrally located filtered oil flow space. It is noted that when the magnet attachment is used for a conventional oil filter cartridge, as disclosed in the abovementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,024, only a relatively small portion of the oil flowing through the conventional oil filter cartridge is exposed to strong magnetic fields as the oil flows through the conventional oil filter cartridge. To increase the efficiency of a magnet attachment for an oil filter cartridge for trapping ferromagnetic particles and thereby separating the ferro-magnetic particles from the flowing oil, it would be desirable if an oil filter cartridge were provided which directs a concentrated flow of oil inside the oil filter cartridge in the vicinity of a magnet attachment.
Other related patents of the present inventor include U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,549 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,426,000. In this respect, all of U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,024, U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,549, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,426,000 are incorporated herein by this reference.
Still other features would be desirable in a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus. For example, with an oil filter cartridge which has a magnet unit attached to an outside portion of the cartridge housing, if the magnet unit is firmly fixed to the oil filter cartridge when the oil filter cartridge is screwed onto an externally threaded cartridge mounting stem on an engine, in tight spaces, the magnet unit may prevent. proper installation of the oil filter cartridge onto the externally threaded cartridge mounting stem. Loosening of the magnet unit on the oil filter cartridge may solve this problem, but, if an oil flow director on the inside of the oil filter cartridge should be in registration with the external magnet unit, then loosening of the magnet unit may cause the internal flow director to be out of registration with the magnet unit. In this respect, it would be desirable if a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus were provided which enables an easy registration adjustment of an internal flow director with an external magnet unit.
With a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus, an important characteristic is the exposure of the oil flowing in the oil filter cartridge to the magnetic flux field exerted by the magnet unit on the flowing oil. In this respect, it would be desirable for a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus to include elements that increase the exposure of the oil flowing in the oil filter cartridge to the magnetic flux field exerted by the magnet unit on the flowing oil.
A smooth flow of oil in the vicinity of the magnetic flux field of a magnet unit causes the flowing oil to pass through the magnetic flux field at a relatively rapid rate. To increase the exposure of flowing oil to the magnetic flux field of a magnet unit, it would be desirable if the flow of the oil through the magnetic flux field were a turbulent flow.
Thus, while the foregoing indicates it to be well known to use a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus, the foregoing does not teach or suggest a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) directs a concentrated flow of oil inside the oil filter cartridge in the vicinity of a magnet attachment; (2) enables an easy registration adjustment of an internal flow director with an external magnet unit; (3) include elements that increase the exposure of the oil flowing in the oil filter cartridge to the magnetic flux field exerted by the magnet unit on the flowing oil; and (4) causes a turbulent flow of the oil through the magnetic flux field exerted by a magnet unit. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.
To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, the present invention, briefly described, provides a magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus for attachment to a cartridge mounting stem on an engine and includes a cartridge housing which includes an inside housing wall and an outside housing wall. A magnet unit is supported on a portion of the outside housing wall, and the magnet unit provides a magnetic flux field, a portion of which is present inside the cartridge housing which defines an internal magnetic flux field. A turbulence box support plate is supported inside the cartridge housing. The turbulence box support plate includes a box-reception notch. A filter unit is supported on the turbulence box support plate. A turbulence box is supported by the turbulence box support plate adjacent to a portion of the inside housing wall. The turbulence box is placed in registration with the box-reception notch and in registration with the internal magnetic flux field.
The magnet unit can include a heat sink portion, and cylindrical magnets are received in the heat sink portion. A magnet concentrator plate contacts the heat sink portion and is placed in registration with the cylindrical magnets. Unit-to-cartridge-housing connector means are connected to the heat sink portion, for connecting the magnet unit to the cartridge housing.
With one embodiment of the invention, the unit-to-cartridge-housing connector means can include first magnet unit mounting brackets attached to the outside housing wall. Second magnet unit mounting brackets includes bottom mounting tabs and top pin-reception portions. The mounting tabs are received in the first magnet unit mounting brackets, and a mounting pin threaded through the pin-reception portions. With another embodiment, the unit-to-cartridge-housing connector means can include a mounting strap for mounting the magnet unit on the cartridge housing.
Preferably, the turbulence box support plate is received in a support-plate-reception gasket which forms a partial seal between the turbulence box support plate and the inside housing wall. The support-plate-reception gasket includes a gasket gap which is in registration with the turbulence box. The turbulence box support plate is received in a plate-reception groove in the support-plate-reception gasket. The turbulence box support plate includes an internally threaded support-plate-stem-reception channel for attachment to an externally threaded cartridge mounting stem.
A housing mounting plate is connected to the cartridge housing. The housing mounting plate includes an internally threaded mounting-plate-stem-reception channel for attachment to the externally threaded cartridge mounting stem. The housing mounting plate includes cartridge oil input channel slots. The housing mounting plate can include a mounting plate lip, and the cartridge housing can include a housing bottom lip. A lip-to-lip gasket is provided between the mounting plate lip and the housing bottom lip. A lip-gasket-lip clamping member is provided for clamping the lip-to-lip gasket between the mounting plate lip and the housing bottom lip.
The turbulence box support plate includes adjustment-tool-reception notches which are in registration with the cartridge oil input channel slots.
The turbulence box includes box side wall panels connected to the turbulence box support plate along side the box-reception notch. A box roof panel is connected to top portions of the box side wall panels. The box side wall panels includes turbulence flow orifices. Preferably, the turbulence flow orifices include first turbulence flow orifices and second turbulence flow orifices. The second turbulence flow orifices are smaller than the first turbulence flow orifices. The turbulence flow orifices cause enhanced turbulent flow inside the turbulence box, such that oil is retained inside the turbulence box for a relatively long period of time.
Preferably, the cross-sectional area of the first turbulence flow orifices and the second turbulence flow orifices is substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the cartridge mounting stem. In this way, excessive oil pressure is not built up inside the cartridge housing.
The turbulence box can be formed from a turbulence box blank includes a box roof panel. A rear wall panel is connected to the box roof panel at a fold line. A pair of box side wall panels are connected to the rear wall panel at a respective pair of fold lines, wherein each of the box side wall panels includes first turbulence flow orifices and second turbulence flow orifices. Box-to-plate connector means are connected to the box side wall panels and the rear wall panel, for connecting the turbulence box to the turbulence box support plate.
The box-to-plate connector means can include a pair of box locking side tabs connected to each box side wall panel at respective fold lines. A box locking rear tab is connected to the rear wall panel at a fold line.
The above brief description sets forth rather broadly the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will be for the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining a preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood, that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus which has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus which is of durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus available to the buying public.
Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus which directs a concentrated flow of oil inside the oil filter cartridge in the vicinity of a magnet attachment.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus that enables an easy registration adjustment of an internal flow director with an external magnet unit.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus which include elements that increase the exposure of the oil flowing in the oil filter cartridge to the magnetic flux field exerted by the magnet unit on the flowing oil.
Even another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved magnetically enhanced oil filter apparatus that causes a turbulent flow of the oil through the magnetic flux field exerted by a magnet unit.